Magnetic island evolution under the action of electron cyclotron current drive

The magnetic island evolution under the action of an externally current generated by electron cyclotron (ECCD) wave beams is studied using a reduced resistive magnetohydrodynamics (RRMHD) plasma model. We found interesting and somewhat unexpected features of the actual nonlinear 2-D evolution of the magnetic perturbation depending on the injection time of the radio frequency control. In particular in the linear phase of the magnetic island growth we observe that the complete annihilation of the island width is followed by a spatial phase shift of the island, referred as «flip»instability. On the other hand, a current drive deposition in the Rutherford regime can be accompained by the occurrence of a Kelvin-Helmholtz type shear flow instability, responsible for the onset of a plasma turbulent behavior.